T
he Possibility Wars aren’t about the control
of the world’s land or natural resources —
they’re about draining the Possibilities of the
living beings who dwell there.
The Reality Raiders or “High Lords,“ seek this
energy to become something called the “Torg.“ The
Delphi Council doesn’t know exactly what this
means yet, but they’re sure it’s very bad.
The High Lords’ home worlds are called cosms.
Angar Uthorion comes from Aysle, Jean Malraux
comes from Magna Verita, Baruk Kaah from Takta
Ker, and so on. Our world is called “Core Earth,“
REALITY
even though it is one of an infinite number of earths,
each with their own stories.
The areas of Core Earth where the invaders
landed and transformed are called realms.
REALITY RAIDERS
Each High Lord is an incredibly powerful
individual on his or her own, but their real power
comes from their “Darkness Devices,“ ancient and
CHAPTER 6
terrible machines of pure destruction. Each of these
ancient relics are sentient with their own names,
powers, strengths, and weaknesses. (The Game
Master has more information on page 218.)
DimThreaDs & maelsTrOm BriDges
One power all Darkness Devices have is the
ability to create pathways between worlds, called
dimthreads and maelstrom bridges.
A dimthread is a small, temporary connection
suitable for only a few individuals to use
before it closes. Dimthreads are used for quick
transportation, often to send spies or other agents
across in advance of an invasion. This is how the
High Lords infiltrated Earth and prepared the way
for their assault.
A maelstrom bridge is a true breach between
worlds. This is what the High Lords used to invade
Core Earth. Maelstrom bridges are permanent and
large enough to allow massive armies to cross. If
the invaded area is properly prepared, they also
funnel Possibility Energy from the target world to
the invaders.
176
sTelae pure ZOnes
Stealing a planet’s Possibility Energy is not easy. Pure Zones contain one supreme reality. Any other
It requires a very specific process that can only be reality present is strongly suppressed. Some Pure
accomplished with the use of a Darkness Device. Zones are located in untouched areas of Core Earth,
First the device must make a number of stelae, or in the home cosms of the High Lords.
statues imbued with the invading reality — and Objects transform quickly, generally within 24
perhaps, pure evil. hours. Living beings are subject to the axiom limits
Once charged, the stelae must be planted in a and World Laws of the Pure Zone’s reality. Within
triangular pattern roughly 500 kilometers on a side. Pure Zones, Ords cannot create Contradictions at
The High Lords’ agents planted a number of these all, but reality-rated characters can as long as they’re
via dimthread before the invasion. not disconnected. If they disconnect, they find it
Once the maelstrom bridges crash down, the particularly hard to reconnect while in a Pure Zone
target world is flooded with the invading reality, (see Reconnection, page 179). Around half of the
which is bound by the stelae planted beforehand. Ords in a zone transform in the first three months.
The stelae prevent the invaded reality from lashing
back on the invaders, then leech Possibility Energy
DOminanT ZOnes
Dominant Zones contain a prevailing reality. Any
from the host realm into the Darkness Device.
other reality is suppressed, but not as powerfully
REALITY
ZONES as within Pure Zones. Core Earth is rare in that it’s
composed mostly of Dominant Zones rather than
The areas between three stelae are called “zones,“ Pure Zones. The majority of areas where invaders
which begin to transform to the new reality have planted stelae are Dominant Zones as well.
once the stelae are activated. The speed of Characters are subject to the dominant reality’s
transformation depends on the type of zone: Pure, axioms and World Laws. Ords and reality-rated
Dominant, or Mixed. characters may create Contradictions so long as
they aren’t disconnected.
ORDS, STORM KNIGHTS, & STORMERS
The High Lords created the term “Ords“ to describe those who are “ordinary“ and are unable to
manipulate Possibility Energy, represented in the game as the storing of Possibilities and the reality
skill. Almost the entirety of the population of a cosm are Ords. Only a rare handful of people become
reality-rated. Ords are the “crop“ that the High Lords harvest to gain Possibility Energy. When Ords
disconnect, they have a 1-in-20 chance of immediately transforming to the local reality. If they don’t
transform, they can’t reconnect unless they return to their native reality, and effectively become
denizens of the reality they are in. Eventually, disconnected Ords transform fully to the local cosm.
“Reality-rated“ beings commonly appear during and after the passage of the initial reality storm
when the maelstrom bridge is dropped, with more being created as the realm expands. The High
Lords coined the term “Stormers“ to describe both heroic and villainous reality-rated beings, but
the heroes refer to themselves as Storm Knights.
Storm Knights and Stormers are capable of directly manipulating Possibility Energy to perform
amazing feats, and dodge horrible perils. Most do this instinctively, somehow sensing what the
best way to do something is to ensure the most precise shot, or avoid getting shot entirely. Ask
a Storm Knight how they do this, and they’ll answer that they don’t know. They just do it. Some
call it luck. Other reality-rated people, especially those from Core Earth, and the High Lords
themselves can discover ways to manipulate Possibility Energy consciously, even going so far
as to be able to use their World Laws in other realities or invoke reality storms.
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177
Reconnecting in a Dominant Zone is difficult for When over a quarter of the beings in a zone take
reality-rated characters, but not as hard as within a on the invading reality, the Darkness Device has
Pure Zone. Ords can’t reconnect at all, unless they enough power to flip it to Dominant.
return to their native reality. Objects transform Mixed Zones bound by the stelae of two
fairly quickly, while half of the living inhabitants invading realities remain Mixed until something
have transformed within 18 months. upsets the balance.
mixeD ZOnes CONTRADICTIONS
Mixed Zones consist of an invader and invaded
reality competing but roughly in balance with each Whenever a character uses tools or abilities that are
other, or a zone bound by stelae of two invading beyond the axiom limits of a realm or their own
realities which have suppressed the invaded one. reality, or are dependent on World Laws from a
Tools and objects permitted by the axioms of different cosm, she creates a “Contradiction.“ In a
both realities can be used without Contradiction Mixed Zone, the action must exceed the axioms of
(the axioms are effectively the greater of the two both realities.
realities), and both sets of World Laws are in effect. Reality ignores Contradictions most of the
Mixed Zones are wracked by reality storms, time, but eventually it notices and causes the
violent eruptions of energy that spontaneously actor to “disconnect“ from his own reality. In
arise to reconcile the competing realities within. game terms, determining if reality notices the
The storms cause strange phenomena and often Contradiction and disconnects the character is
transform beings and objects exposed to their wrath. called a “Contradiction check.“
Contradiction checks are usually part of a normal
skill test. Disconnection occurs if the user rolls a 1 or
BEACHHEADS a 1–4, depending on the nature of the Contradiction:
Zones that have a newly dropped maelstrom • One Case: A roll of 1 causes disconnection
bridge within them are Dominant, but become when the tool or ability is higher than the
Pure very quickly —usually within a matter character or the land, but not both.
of days due to the tight connection with the • Four Case: A roll of 1–4 causes disconnection
invading cosm. Surrounding zones start as when the tool or ability is higher than both the
Mixed, but sending troops and equipment character and the land.
into zones wracked by reality storms is asking
to have them transformed and the defenders Example: Tworek tries to fire an M-4 in the
are still able to use the benefits of their reality Living Land. Its Tech Axiom exceeds the
to fight back. cosm’s and her own, so she disconnects on a
So the Reality Raiders cheat by using their roll of 1–4. If Aidan from Core Earth fired the
Darkness Devices and expending massive same rifle he only disconnects on a roll of 1.
amounts of Possibility Energy to flip those
Mixed Zones to Dominant Zones. surge
A “Surge“ is a momentary flash of reality attempting
That’s why maelstrom bridges are usually
to reconcile all the contradictory things within the
the heart of a group of Dominant or Pure
zone. When Surge comes up on the Conflict Line of
Zones — it gives the High Lords a solid
the Drama Deck, any character who is not of that
staging area or “beachhead“ for their forces.
reality or has something foreign to that reality on
This occurred frequently in the early stages of
his person must make a Contradiction check.
the invasion. The entire country of India, for
example, became Orrorsh Dominant on the This is a single d20 roll, using the worst of his
day of the invasion, a flagrant display of the Contradictions (One Case or Four Case). It’s
Gaunt Man’s dark power. not associated with a skill in this instance — it’s
178
REALITY
Tworek disconnects at exactly the wrong moment thanks to a Four Case Contradiction.
a straight die roll. Those who roll a 1 (or 1–4) Worst of all, disconnected reality-rated characters
disconnect. Any other result has no effect. can’t spend Possibilities (including Drama or
Hero cards)! They can’t even Soak damage. This
DiscOnnecTiOn is obviously very dangerous for Stormers and
Disconnected characters can’t cause Contradictions. Storm Knights, since disconnection often happens
They can’t take actions or gain benefits from tools in the most stressful of times when Possibilities
that violate the axioms of the realm they’re in (or are precious!
either reality in a Mixed Zone). They begin to get an
intuitive feel of how things work in the new reality, recOnnecTiOn
and slowly forget concepts native to their own. When A disconnected reality-rated character must attempt
an Ord disconnects, immediately roll a die. On a 1, to reconnect to her reality as a free action at the start
he transforms to the dominant reality, or his choice of her turn (or every 10 seconds out of combat).
in a Mixed Zone (see Transformation, page 180). Reconnecting is a use of the reality skill and is
Strange as it may seem, items, concepts, spells, modified by the type of zone the character is in
and miracles that aren’t supported by the realm when she attempts to reconnect:
just don’t work and provide no effect or bonus
whatsoever. Unsupported objects and concepts RECONNECTION CHART
“phase out“ as they attempt to transform into Mod Zone
something the cosm supports. Armor, swords,
— Mixed Zone
guns, modern clothes, and other gear might
disappear and reappear in incoherent flashes. −4 Dominant Zone
Concepts become incomprehensible while spells −8 Pure Zone
and miracles might be alien concepts beyond the
user’s imagining — or ability — depending on the
gulf between axioms.
179
179
Ords and Reconnection: Non-transformed Ords
can reconnect if they return to a Mixed, Dominant, TRANSFORMATION
or Pure Zone of their own reality. They don’t make
Transformation of non-living things happens
a reality test (since they can’t have the skill); reality
very rapidly (less than 24 hours) in a Pure Zone,
itself pulls them back to their natural axioms within
and almost as fast in a Dominant or Mixed Zone.
a few minutes.
Objects typically transform into similar forms,
Transformation: A Mishap while attempting to and usually (but not always) preserve their mass,
reconnect transforms nonplayer characters (see general shape, and basic function. A high-tech
Transformation below). Player characters must laser rifle transforms into a low-tech musket, for
choose to either transform to the new reality (they example. Or an aircraft carrier might shrink to
may choose in a Mixed Zone) or lose an add in become a Viking longboat — though likely one of
reality! If a character has no remaining adds in the largest any raider has ever seen! Characters
reality, she has no choice and transforms to the with spells, miracles, or psionics must re-select
new reality. Losing the add after such a Mishap powers appropriate to their new cosm.
immediately reconnects the character to her cosm.
The one constant is that non-living things don’t
lOng-range cOnTraDicTiOns transform into living things and vice versa.
What happens if a character throws a grenade in
the Living Land? Does it go off? What if a wizard
OrDs
Ords spontaneously and randomly transform
from Aysle leaves an alarm spell in Core Earth —
simply by being in an invading reality for long
does it trigger?
enough, or by being exposed to a reality storm.
A contradictory object stops functioning a round The chances of transforming in a Pure Zone are,
after leaving a character’s possession, or if the of course, significantly higher than in a Dominant
distance between it and the user becomes greater Zone, and a disconnected Ord has the highest
than one kilometer. chance of all.
A soldier can throw a grenade in the Living When an Ord transforms she is completely
Land with no problem, for example, but drained of any Possibility Energy, which
if Quinn Sebastian fires a Tomahawk is used to ensure her survival during
missile from the coast of New York the process. Her clothing, physical
at a target in Pennsylvania, it may appearance, personality, gear, and
land as an unguided giant stone knowledge all change to suit the new
spear. It doesn’t lock on to anything reality. She still has her personality and is still
or explode, regardless. “her,“ but a different “her“ with the morals
This also means radios work in the and social beliefs formed by a life lived
Living Land—as long as the devices are within in her new world. In the Living Land
1,000 meters! Cell phones would not, however, she becomes savage and may even
since they must connect with towers and quickly convert to the comforting
satellites far away. worship of Lanala. A man in the
Remember that Ords can’t cause Cyberpapacy might quickly
Contradictions in a Pure Zone at come to depend on cyberware,
all, so they can’t create long-range and through it, convert
Contradictions either! Storm to the Cyberpope’s
Knights can, however, at the risk peculiar faith.
of disconnection. Exactly how an
individual changes
depends on the
cosm. Core Earthers who
transform in the Living
180
Land, for example, become primitive and eventually
become stronger due to a more active lifestyle.
Races found only in other cosms, including MOMENT OF CRISIS
edeinos, elves, and dwarves, don’t change race if What makes Storm Knights different from
they transform, but they may become confused or everyone else? Only reality itself knows.
crazed by the process. Elves are especially hard What scholars believe is that when certain
hit if the reality they conform to doesn’t have a individuals are faced with strong moral
high enough Magic Axiom to support them. Such choices and opposing realities, Possibility
elves don’t die, but the Magical Affinity ability is Energy surges into them.
always in effect.
Sometimes the surge of Possibility Energy
Transformed Ords often gain new, equivalent fuels transformation to the opposing reality.
skills to fit their reality. A college teacher could The individual is now a denizen of the new
suddenly find himself casting magic spells in Aysle, cosm with all its axioms and World Laws.
or a mechanic could operate a cyberware chop shop Other times, the character may simply become
in the Cyberpapacy. a champion of her original reality.
Ords remember their old lives, but they have a This “Moment of Crisis“ or “transcendence“
hard time concentrating on contradictory concepts. makes the character a Stormer if she’s inclined
REALITY
An Ord who transforms to the Living Land to destruction, or a Storm Knight if she’s more
remembers that automobiles exist and that they aligned with creation.
get you from one place to another, but couldn’t
Both immediately gain one add in the reality
explain how they work or drive one.
skill after undergoing transcendence, and are
Should an Ord transform a second time without forever after said to be “reality-rated.“
being refilled with Possibility Energy (such as a
Glory event, see page 183), she disappears into
dust. Some Storm Knights call this being “reduced Mishap does trigger a transformation, but the net
to what-ifs.“ Needless to say, Storm Knights should effect is roughly the same as reconnecting since the
never uproot a stela without refilling the locals first! character is already from that reality. However, any
contradictory gear still transforms.
sTOrm knighTs anD sTOrmers
Some Storm Knights and Stormers become denizens Example: A witch from the Cyberpapacy
of the invading reality, while others transcend but transforms in the Living Land. She no longer
maintain their original cosm. has access to magic, but she feels a natural
The risk of transformation occurs again each rebellion to authority, and likely the edeinos’
time the hero must reconnect (see Reconnection, religion of Keta Kalles. She’s an outsider and
page 179). A Mishap then means she either loses a loner who’s always searching for technology
a reality add fighting it off, or she transforms (see and relics of the many lost worlds that often
Reconnection, page 179). appear in the Living Land, but can’t quite
figure out what to do with it.
The process of transformation is the same as
Since she’s a rebel and a collector of “dead
that of Ords. The hero’s gear transforms, and
things,“ she’s ostracized by the local tribes.
she may transform physically. Race remains the
She decides to replace her Spellcaster Perk
same. Attributes may be swapped in cases where
with Animal Companion (Saber Tooth Cat),
it’s appropriate for the cosm (GM’s call). If a skill
and her Cyberware with Vengeful.
or Perk isn’t appropriate for the cosm they are
The witch still has the same basic personality
replaced with an equivalent skill or Perk. The adds
and interests, but has adapted to the strange
for the new skill remain the same.
world of the Living Land in a new and
In the rare circumstances where a Storm Knight interesting way.
manages to disconnect inside her native reality, a
181
181
THE STORM
become this thing they call the “Torg.“ The Delphi
Council has yet to confirm these rumors.
KNIGHTS’ ROLE gaTher eTerniTy sharDs
The Delphi Council has tasked the militaries of the Important relics of the world often draw and
world with fighting the High Lords’ armies. The store Possibility Energy. Excalibur, the Heart of
Storm Knights’ job is far more varied, but their Coyote, the Hedjet of Horus, and similar artifacts
primary role is to thwart the invaders’ various become imbued with humanity’s hopes and
schemes and provide hope to those who fight them. dreams and eventually become something called
Here are a few of the most common tasks they “Eternity Shards.“
are asked to perform. Some are fleeting — items held by celebrities
or heroes for a time that later fade from
fOil The high lOrDs’ plans popular memory. Others are essentially eternal.
The Reality Raiders are not complacent beings. But all contain and absorb some amount of
They don’t just sit back and sup on their fill of stolen Possibility Energy.
Possibility Energy. They plot and scheme for more,
The High Lords crave such devices, not just for
whether it’s by expanding their territory, stealing
the energy contained within to be used as fodder
Eternity Shards, or even betraying their fellow
for their insidious Darkness Devices, but also for
High Lords for some other power or advantage.
the strange powers some of these relics contain.
The Delphi Council has agents everywhere, and Excalibur, for example, is a mighty weapon that
when word of the raiders’ plans reach them, they can harm any creature or entity, whether it is
often dispatch Storm Knights to disrupt them. otherwise invulnerable, intangible, or otherwise
They’ve stopped Dr. Mobius from digging to impervious to harm. Similarly, Ali’s Skull Cap is
the center of the Earth, for example, and staved said to grant incredible power to those who can
off Uthorion’s plans to assassinate Pella Ardinay invoke Islamic miracles.
during a conference in London.
Finding such Eternity Shards, and keeping them
prOTecT The innOcenT from the malignant touch of the Reality Raiders, is
Perhaps the most important role of the Storm a primary role of the Storm Knights.
Knights is to keep the ordinary citizens of the
world from harm. This applies to more than just
remOve sTelae
One of the tasks to which Storm Knights are
Core Earthers —numerous individuals from other
uniquely suited is the removal of stelae. When
realms are also present on our planet. Some are
successful, removing a stela reasserts Core
resistance fighters who know how best to fight their
Earth’s reality in the bounded zone, robs the
evil overlords, and some are just once-ordinary
High Lords of the very energy they came here
citizens transplanted or swept up in the invasion
to steal, and begins to return any transformed
for one reason or another.
locals to their original state. See Removing
The High Lords aren’t out to kill everyone on Stelae (page 183) for details on the process itself.
the planet — that would actually stop the flow of
The Delphi Council requests this vital assignment
Possibility Energy they crave. But they are quick to
rarely since it requires luck, commitment, and most
wipe out troublesome populations or anyone who
importantly, inspiring stories of Storm Knights’
stands in their way, especially if individuals, towns,
exploits in the realm to restore Possibilities to
or even countries resist them.
the transformed. Without the stories, those who
Some who have studied such things say that at have already transformed to the invading reality
some point the High Lords will seek the destruction die. And removing stelae is not easy, for they
of the world. They claim that when a particular are always heavily protected by the High Lords’
tipping point is reached, the Reality Raiders will Darkness Devices.
need a massive release of energy — whether in
Always.
lives, Possibility Energy, or raw kinetic power—to
182
GLORY REMOVING STELAE
Storm Knights’ unique ability to withstand and Destroying a stela is a complicated and dangerous
alter hostile realities makes them the most potent process. First, the heroes must actually find the stela
weapon against the High Lords. Not only can they they want to remove. Stelae are generally hidden
fight the invaders’ most powerful agents, they also or heavily protected when they’re in the middle of
can inspire the populace, refill them with Possibility a civilized area such as Lyon or Cairo.
Energy, and then tear out the stelae that fuels the Further afield, in the Saharan desert, the dense
High Lords’ power. jungles of the Living Land, or the irradiated
In the game, the spread of hope is represented by and blasted ghettos of Moscow, the High Lords
playing Glory cards. Any time the group manages rely on the ability of the Darkness Devices to
to do so, it has three important effects: detect when stelae are being tampered with and
dispatch guardians or other forces to protect them.
• All Ords in the zone are refilled with (Game Masters, see 218 for the Darkness Devices’
Possibility Energy. See Restoration, below. likely reactions.)
• Every Storm Knight in the group receives one
The Delphi Council maintains maps of suspected
Possibility.
stelae locations, but they are only accurate to
• The player characters each immediately
REALITY
within a few kilometers. Getting any closer requires
draw one Destiny card, and their hand size
investigation, exploration, and simple trial and error.
increases by one card until the end of the next
act. uprOOTing The sTela
resTOraTiOn Next comes the actual uprooting. Unfortunately,
this isn’t as simple as blowing it up or knocking it
When an Ord transforms, she’s robbed of all her
over. Stelae are anchors of reality itself, a parasite
Possibility Energy. Storm Knights regain energy
grafted to the core of the land it’s taken over.
fast enough to survive further transformations, but
Uprooting one requires severing those ties by
Ords do not. If they have not yet done so when
altering existence itself.
transformation occurs, they are consumed by the
process and die. Removing a stela is a use of Dramatic Skill
Resolution. Each step is a reality test that severs
Fortunately, Storm Knights can restore some
the device’s ties to the cosm it came from and the
of this energy by performing great and inspiring
one it was planted on.
acts. Anytime a Storm Knight successfully plays
a Glory card, there’s enough ambient energy in The Delphi Council advises Storm Knights to be
the air for every disconnected Ord in the zone to ready for deadly and immediate retaliation should
reconnect to their home cosm, and transformed they attempt this very difficult task. Stelae are
Ords may survive another transformation. All connected to the Darkness Devices that made them,
new transformations to the invading reality are so the moment a Storm Knight begins the Dramatic
prevented for a time. These effects last for one Skill Resolution, it sends out a distress call. What
month from the moment the Glory card is played. happens next varies, but everything from gospog
This is a perfect time for the heroes to rip up any attacks to reaction squads appearing via dimthread
bounding stelae, if they’re able! have been known to show up and defend the stela.
The Game Master has specific information
on the Dramatic Skill Resolution and possible
defenses on page 215.
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